Pro 1: InVitro Fertilization has given homosexual couples a chance to have their own children. Since they are unable to reproduce as a couple, many choose InVitro so that they are able to go through the same process of having children, just with some help from science. Without InVitro fertilization, homosexual couples never have been able to experience the beauty of pregnancy.

Pro 2: Many individuals who are unmarried choose InVitro in order to have their own children. Recently, many women are putting “getting ahead” in the workforce over marriage and starting a family. This results in women being ready to have children too late and remaining unmarried. It is also very common for this to happen among men as well. Without InVitro Fertilization, these unmarried individuals would be unable to have their own children.

Pro 3: InVitro allows couples who are infertile a chance to have their own child. “We had begun to lose hope – after nine IUI cycles, three miscarriages and almost four years of heartache, we were scared of failing again… I got pregnant on the first IVF cycle. Thank you for our miracles – two healthy beautiful boys.” This testimonial was given by a woman named Laura who had her treatment done at Northern California Fertility Medical Center and was successful on the first try. She had been infertile and tried Infertility Treatment (IUI) prior to InVitro 9 times. Without the process of InVitro Fertilization, she would have been unable to have children on her own.

Pro 4: Sometimes there are male factor associated with not having children. There are issues such as low sperm count, where the male is unable to get the woman pregnant. InVitro helps the man by extracting his sperm and putting it inside the woman. InVitro is the same as a naturally caused pregnancy; it just helps those couples who are unable to on their own.

Ethical Question: Is In-Vitro Fertilization an ethical way to have a child?

Definition: fertilization of an egg in a laboratory dish or test tube; specifically: fertilization by mixing sperm with eggs surgically removed from an ovary followed by uterine implantation of one or more of the resulting fertilized eggs

-Pro group has said they agree with the definition and ethical question

Arguments:

1. “Playing God”

a.Some people believe that if you can’t have children, then you shouldn’t because God has a path for you. In addition, there are millions of orphans in the world who can be the child any parent, single or a couple, is seeking. To adopt a child would not only be going along with the body you were given, but would also help to counteract the effects of overpopulation while giving the parent the experience of having their own child.

2.Cost

a.In-Vitro Fertilization is incredibly expensive and to pay for it is not possible for many Americans. This means that In-Vitro favors the wealthy and ignores the needs of those without insurance. It is not the American way ot give more opportunites to people simply because of their financial situation. Some insurance companies wont cover the procedure because of the amount of loopholes in laws that let them off and hurt the public.

3.Emotions

a.Most women who try In-Vitro already have had many emotionally draining failed pregnancy attempts in the past. The pain of continually learning of a failed try to get pregnant over and over again takes a toll on both parents. This causes many women who get IVF to already suffer depression or be emotionally hurt. With the stress and anxiety of IVF studies have shown depression to increase and hurt the parties involved.

4.Birth Defects

a.Many scientific studies prove there are more birth defects in children who are born from IVF than from natural reproduction. These birth defects range from cardiac defects, to cleft lip to gastrointestinal defects to cancer of the eye.

1.There are many orphans in the world, however, InVitro allows you to go through the steps of pregnancy on your own and there is a different emotional connection. If InVitro is considered playing god, adoption should not be considered any different since you are still choosing to have a child for the rest of your life.

2.The cost of InVitro is anywhere between $12,000 and $17,000. Previously you suggested adoption be a different option. However, adoption can be as expensive as $40,000. Also, the process of InVitro is enabling individuals to have the experience of giving birth which is something that is hard to put a price on and the actual cost of the process should not make it unethical.

3.When InVitro fails, it is not because of the actual process, it is because of dysfunctions between the partners such as age, quality of eggs, or quality of sperm. Therefore the emotions that come after failure of the pregnancy should not be blamed on the process of InVitro

4.Even with natural pregnancy, there are many risks and potential birth defects associated with the birth of the child. According to researchers, even with increased risk, the defects are extremely rare among InVitro babies; there is no difference in risks between natural pregnancy versus InVitro.

To rebut each of your points about couples or individuals who are homosexual, individuals who are unmarried, women who are infertile, and men who have a low sperm count the simple answer is one can easily adopt. As of November 2006, there were an estimated 500,000 orphans of LIVING parents in the United States. The number of parentless children has also increased from 3.7% in 1980 to 4.1% (www.theorphansociety.org/thefact-sheet.htm). The total global orphan estimates for 2008 were 168 million (Christianallianceblog.org). People who adopt not only are having children without a costly procedure, but they also are also helping with the issue of overpopulation and giving children homes that they would not have gotten otherwise.

To go into the rebuttal specifics of each argument:

1.In-Vitro doesn’t affect male couples because they can’t get pregnant since they are both male. Even if they do want a child they have the options of surrogate mothers or adoption. Female couples also have these choices.

2. For an individual who wishes to have a child then they also have the options of adoption or surrogate mothers. There would be no reason for the single parent to spend excessive amounts of money and time on a procedure which may not yield results with these viable options. Also, adoption doesn’t only apply to single women, but can be done by single men as well.

3.Infertility is also seen as a serious issue for women. In-vitro has been shown to cause problems in relationships, hurt feelings, and ultimately depression. Between 20 and 30% of women who undergo in-vitro fertilization procedures suffer significant symptoms of depression. This is especially true when In-vitro is another failed attempt at pregnancy. However, with adoption, the woman would receive the immediate satisfaction.

4. For couples where the male has fertility problems then often issues in their relationship occur where the male feels emasculated and broken. Again, adoption would allow for men to avoid this feeling.

The main point of their argument is to adopt rather than to go through InVitro Fertilization. However, people who go through InVitro don't only undergo the procedure for a child, but for the experience of pregnancy itself. Having a child of your own versus adoption both are options for people who want children in general, however, InVitro accommodates those who are seeking the connection of pregnancy as well.
Also, you say "People who adopt not only are having children without a costly procedure…" however adoption is more expensive than InVitro fertilization. InVitro costs anywhere between $12,000-$17,000 whereas adoption "can range from $5,000 to $40,000 or more depending on a variety of factors including services provided, travel expenses, birthmother expenses, requirements in the state, and other factors" according to Adoption.com. There are many more costly factors resulting in a procedure most likely to be more expensive.
You also claim that InVitro takes "excessive amounts of money and time on a procedure" and "that with adoption, the woman would receive the immediate satisfaction". However, adoption costs more and can take up to an average of 9 months for the adoption process to be complete according to actionadoption.org. Therefore there is no "immediate satisfaction".

1. Adopting a child is just as rewarding as giving birth to your own child. The love and strong bond between parents and children doesn't matter about genetic makeup but about care and devotion people put into a relationship. 93% of people doing private or domestic adoptions say they definitely would do it again. 81% of foster parents, and 87% of international parents say the same thing. (http://aspe.hhs.gov...)

2. The cost of adoption can vary depending on what kind of adoption you choose and where you adopt from. Many agencies also adjust the cost based on the family's income. The cost of adoption can be very minimal but in-vitro is always expensive.

Cost of in-vitro, as a reminder, generally costs a minimum of $12,000, according to your group

People also can get adoption tax credit and employer adoption benefits to help pay for adoptions.

3. For couples that have already failed with natural pregnancy then they will be more likely to try in-vitro. These couples by nature will be older because of the years of trials they went through therefore there is less likelihood of the in-vitro process working.

4.Studies have repeatedly proven that there is a significant increase in chance of birth defects for those children born from In-Vitro Fertilization. A 2002 study in the New England Journal of Medicine reported that the occurrence of major birth defects more than doubles, from 4 % to about 9% with IVF. In 2003, in the journal Lancet by Dutch researchers reported four- to seven-fold increase in the rate of a rare cancer of the eye -- known as retinoblastoma -- in children conceived via assisted reproductive technology. In 2008, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found In-vitro babies are two to three times as likely to be born with cardiac defects involving a hole in the heart. These babies also are also twice as likely to be born with a cleft lip and four times as likely to be born with some gastrointestinal defects. These statistics make it clear that in-vitro fertilization is more likely to lead to birth defects in the children.